Episode of Secrets of the Dead

Lost Ships Of Rome

In 2009 a team of marine archeologists, carrying out a sonar survey of the seabed around the remote Italian island of Ventotene, made an astonishing discovery. The wrecks of five ancient Roman ships were found in pristine condition, each one fully laden with exotic goods. Remarkably, much of the cargo remained exactly as the ancient Roman crews had loaded it, suggesting that these ships had not capsized but had gone to the bottom of the sea intact and upright. What happened to these ancient ships? What were they carrying and why had they traveled to this remote, rocky island in the first place? "Lost Ships of Rome" follows the team as they explore the sites in detail, salvage artifacts and piece together the history of the ships and why they were lost at Ventotene 2,000 years ago.